Apparatus for filling bags



APPARATUS FOR FILLING BAGS Original Filed Nov. 2, 1932 2 Sheetsheet l A EY.

May 30, 1939 R. N. CUNDALL 2,160,060

APPARATUS FOR FILLING BAGS original Filed Nov. 2, 1952 2 Sheetslsheet 2 Patented May 30, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE APPARATUS FOR FILLING BAGS Original application November 2, 1932, Serial No.

640,758. Divided and this application September 9, 1937, Serial No. 163,045

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for filling bags such as are used to contain as much as 100 pounds or more of granular or pulverulent materials.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide apparatus for mechanically accomplishing the purpose set forth. This invention has for further objects numerous improvements in operative advantages and construction, both with respect to the apparatus as a whole and the several portions thereof, as will hereinafter be found to obtain.

The present application constitutes a division of the application, Serial No. 640,758, filed November 2, 1932, for Apparatus for filling, closing, sewing, and sealing bags.

In order that the invention may clearly be set forth and understood, it is described with `reference to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specication, a preferred form and manner in which it may be embodied.

In these drawings,

Fig. l is a front elevation of the improved baglling mechanism;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, taken in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detailed elevational views of the lling spout and mechanism associated therewith at the entering end of the machine; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view of apparatus forming a part of my invention as shown in Fig. l.

Similar reference characters and numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to the drawings, there is disclosed a filling mechanism indicated generally at A and a conveyor indicated generally at B. Preferably, although not necessarily, the conveyor B is driven in an intermittent manner whereby a period of rest for a period of time sufcient to permit filling oi a bag by the filling mechanism is followed by movement of the conveyor to carry the lled bag away from the lling mechanism. Reference is here made to my above-identified application, Serial No. 640,758, for a complete disclosure of a conveyor and drive mechanism therefor which may be used with the lling mechanism hereinafter described.

A shaft N is supported for rotation in suitable bearings and is driven by a motor or other'suitable source of power (not shown). As disclosed in said application, Serial No. 640,758, the driving means for the shaft N and conveyor B is so timed in its operation that the conveyor B goes through one complete cycle of operation including a period of rest and a period of motion, as discussed above, while the shaft N performs one complete revolution.

Conveyor belts 38 are driven in unison with the conveyor B and serve to laterally support and assist in the movement of filled bags. It will be understood that the conveyor belts 38 and the conveyor B are supported upon a fixed frame 54 and may extend for any distance necessary to convey the filled bags through any desired number of stations for further processing. Thus, for example, the filled bags may be conveyed through a plurality of stations for closing and sealing the open mouths thereof, as shown in said application, Serial No. 640,758.

The improved bag-l1ing mechanism includes a hopper 50 terminating in a spout 5l The hopper and spout are integrally joined and have mounted thereon lugs 5t' and 5| Pivoted to the lugs are levers 52 and 5? pivotally secured at their opposite ends to the fixed frame 54. This mounting permits the spout to move vertically, and the weight of the hopper and spout is counterbalanced by a weight W secured at one end of an extension 53 of the arm 53.

A bag is brought up over the spout, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, with its sides between the spout wall and a pair of clamping members tl. These clamping members are pivotally mounted on shafts 6| and have clamping surfaces 62 eccentric to the shafts 5|'. When the clamps Si are lowered, the clamping surfaces t2 press the bag 6@ and hold it against the spout wall. In this condition the weight of the bag and its contents serves to intensify the clamping effect due to the eccentricity of the clamp surface 62. The clamps S! are initially held in raised position to provide clearance between their gripping surfaces and the spout wall by a pair of latch members 65, and are thus shown in Fig. 2.

As soon as the operator has brought the bag intoy the requisite position he presses upwardly a member 65 which serves to force apart the lower ends of the latch members 65, thus withdrawing the upper ends of these members from under a pair of cooperating levers 6l. 'Ihe levers Bl support the clamps 6i through cranks 68 and rods 69. Accordingly, when the member 66 is pressed upwardly, with the effect indicated above, the clamps 6l drop and engage the bag.

At this time pulverulent material may be dumped from any suitable device into the hopper 50. The material enters into the bag which is at this time suspended from the spout and the weight of the material tends to overcome the effect of the counterweight W and thus tends todraw the spout downwardly. During this time the conveyor B is stationary but the shaft N is rotating. Pivotally attached to the arm 53 is a rod 78. follower 'H which, after the bag receives a small amount of material, is caused to bear upon a cam l2 keyed to the shaft N. The cam 'i2 is provided with cut-away portions or recesses 73, 'i4 and l5 and with a constant radius portion l.

With the weight of the hopper plus the weight of the material in the suspended bag overcoming the effect of the counterweight W, rotation of the cam l2 permits follower 7l, the rod lll, the arm the hopper 5G and the bag 59 to drop at each of the cut-away portions 13, l and l5, thus jogging the bag and causing its contents to settle during the filling operation.

At the time the follower 'il enters the last cutaway portion the spout is in its lowermost position, the bag is full and is resting upon the conveyor B. At this moment a rod Eil (Figs. 2 and 6) actuated by a cam 8l on shaft N is thrust upwardly and strikes the end-face t2 of an arm 83 mounted upon a shaft Sil.

The follower l l bears upon the surface of the cam l only when there is sufcient material within the hopper or the bag suspended therefrom to raise the counterweight W, the weight of the empty bag alone being insufficient to raise the counterweight W and lower the hopper 5d and spout 5l.

The configuration of the cam Si is such that the rod is lowered prior to the time when the Weight of material in the bag or the hopper 5S causes the latter to descend against the action of the counterweight W, and the raising of the rod 89 normally occurs at the time when the cam follower l traverses the cut-away portion 'i5 of the cam l2; in other words, after the bag has been iilled and settled and the hopper 5@ and spout 5l are in their lowermost positions, the counterweight YV being raised.

Raising the clamping surfaces S2 and releasing the bag from the spout 5l then permits the latter to rise clear of the bag under the action of the counterweight W, the cam follower 'll rising clear of the cam l2, where it remains until the next bag is being lled.

The shaft t4 is journaled in a pair of lugs 85 at the rearward end of the spout of hopper 59. Keyed to the shaft 8G are a pair of crank arms 85 which act through adjustable draw rods 3S and crank arms 8l' to turn the shafts Si and release the clamps el, thus permitting the spout to rise clear of the bag under the action of the counterweight W. The conveyor E then begins its forward movement to carry the filled bag out from under the spout.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible of considerable At the lower end of this rod is a cam modification in detail without departure therefrom, and the invention is not therefore limited to the specific example or examples given hereinabove by way of illustration, but may variously be embodied within the scope of the claims hereinafter made.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bag-filling device, the combination of a spout adapted to enter the mouth of a bag, a vertically movable clamping device for suspending a bag into the mouth of which said spout has been inserted, a cam, means for rotating said cam, means operatively connected with said clamping device adapted for movement into a position for cooperation with said cam to produce a vertical jogging movement of said clamping device and the bag suspended therefrom as the bag fills, and a device maintaining said last-named means out of cooperative position with said cam until said bag has been filled to an extent suincient to overcome said last-named device and to move said last-named means into cooperative position with said cam.

2. In a bag-lling device, the combination of a spout adapted to enter the mouth of a bag, a vertically movable clamping devicefor suspending a bag into the mouth of which said spout has been inserted, a cam, means for rotating said cam, means operatively connected with said clamping device adapted for movement into a position for cooperation with said cam to produce a vertically jogging movement of said clamping device and the bag suspended therefrom as the bag fills, a device maintaining said last-named means out of cooperative position with said cam until said bag has been filled to an extent sufficient to overcome said last-named device and to move said las named means into cooperative position with said cam, a release for said clamping device, and a second cam adapted to actuate said release to free the bag after it has been subjected to said jogging movement.

3. In a bag-filling device, the combination of a vertically movable spout adapted to enter the mouth of a bag, a clamping device movable with said spout for suspending a bag into the mouth of' which said spout has been inserted, a cam, means for rotating said cani, means operatively connected with said clamping device adapted for movement into a position for cooperation with said cam to produce a vertical jogging movement of said clamping device and the bag suspended therefrom as the bag fills, and a counterweight maintaining said last named means out of cooperative position with said cam until said bag has been filled to an extent sufficient to overcome said counterweight and to move said last named means into cooperative position with said cam.

LUTA L. CUNDALL, ficmz'nistmtrz'zc of the Estate of Robert N. Cundall,

Deceased. 

